Reading the Tea Leaves on John Roberts

July 25, 2005

Given the ongoing legal struggles to preserve digital freedom, it is difficult to underestimate the importance of carefully vetting President Bush’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge John G. Roberts. If confirmed, Judge Roberts will have extraordinary power to shape the future of digital rights, for good or ill. Unfortunately, Judge Roberts’ brief judicial record offers little guidance as to how he would rule on key digital rights issues as a Supreme Court Justice. Nevertheless, we think a few items in the record are worth noting.